Depart from runway 24 at Woodbourne, the joint air force -civilian airport serving town of Blenheim, and follow the GPS guidance climbing up to 3000 feet.
The flight track will take you across the Wairau River, and into the Koromiko Valley. You’ll pass overhead Picton Aerodrome, with a short 840 metre long runway adjacent to the main road that is serviced by local regional airline Sounds Air with C208 Caravans.
A little further along, you’ll cross Picton township, the main port that connects the South Island to the North Island with daily vehicle ferry services to the capital of Wellington. Waypoint 5 sees you turning right to follow the course of Queen Charlotte Sound, the main water channel that the ferries also travel along as they arrive and depart from Picton.
Waypoint 6 sits at the end of Kenepuru Head, the headland to the left of the aircraft, and will put you into a left hand turn around several fingers of land that jut out into the Sound, before aligning you on a south westerly heading. Cross back over Kenepuru Head and you’ll be flying along the beautiful sheltered turquoise waters of Kenepuru Sound.
Continue on the south westerly heading along Kenepuru Sound to waypoint 12, before turning northbound over Te Matua A Maui Bay, and flying through the low pass ahead to cross into Crail Bay. We follow the left hand shoreline of Crail Bay north until reaching Opani-aputa Point (waypoint 15), and then cross the next large body of water, Pelorus Sound, towards Tawero Point (waypoint 16) on the opposite side.
The track continues south west for 6.6 miles to cross another low pass in the terrain at Elaine Bay, taking you across the Tennyson Inlet and into Squally Cove. Continue on the same heading towards the headland of Cape Soucis (waypoint 17), and then turn left to exit the Marlborough Sounds and follow the coast of Tasman Bay.
Waypoints 21, 22 and 23 will see you threading around the beautiful scenery of Peppin Island, connected to the mainland via a narrow causeway. After passing this area, continue on a southerly heading along the easy to navigate Boulder Bank that separates Nelson Haven lagoon from the sea.
Waypoint 23 sits overhead the Boulder Bank lighthouse- and if you begin a descent to pass overhead this point of interest at 950 feet, you will be on profile to land on runway 20 at NZNS. Make a touch and go, and then continue to follow the flight plan, with a right turn out after departure, tracking the flightplan in a north westerly direction, over Rabbit Island.
This 15 mile leg will take you along the coastline of Tasman Bay to the final destination of Motueka (NZMK), an uncontrolled general aviation airfield with a 729m long seal runway orientated 02/20 to make a full stop landing.